Impeachment (Norway)

Impeachment (Norway)

In Norway, impeachment is a court of justice able to convict members of parliament, government ministers and supreme court judges for criminal acts in line of duty. Impeachment is based on the Constitution of Norway §§ 86 and 87, and consists of five members of the Supreme Court and six lay members appointed by the parliament. Authorization of impeachment is done by parliament, and has been performed eight times, the last case being held in 1927.

History

Impeachment has been performed eight times in the history of the kingdom, and each time it has been aimed at members of the government. Six of the cases were in the period 1814–45. During the constitutional struggle in the last half of the 19th century impeachment became vital following the case against the Cabinet Selmer in 1884, concerning the right of the veto rights of the King in matters of the constitution. Prior to this case, impeachment was the only was for parliament to dismiss a member of the cabinet; after 1884 Norway got a system of parliamentarism, and parliament could dismiss a member of cabinet through a majority vote.

After the constitutional battle was over, there was only one case, where Prime Minister Abraham Berge and six members of his cabinet were found not guilty. Since impeachment has not been used, and is no longer considered part of the political game. Public commissions have since looked at reforming or removing impeachment, and transferring the institution to the ordinary courts. On 20 February 2007 the parliament voted to change the constitution such that the organization of impeachment becomes more potent, and changing the requirements so the lay members of the court are not current members of parliament.

tructure

Prior to the 2007 constitution change, the "Odelsting" chamber was to act as prosecutor and the "Lagting" chamber along with the supreme court was to act as the court. Ten members of the "Lagting" and five from the supreme court were to rule in the matter.

The constitutional change merged the two chambers, causing the process of impeachment also to be changed. The court would consist of eleven members, five from the supreme court and six lay members chosen by parliament for a period of six years. Current members of parliament are not eligible to serve, as they are presumed to have a conflict of interest in the matter. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Norway is to lead the impeachment. The responsibility to act as prosecutor is held by the parliament, and is to be administrated by a parliamentary committee, "Stortingets ansvrskommisjon". The changes made impeachment a more viable threat to office holders should the breach their limitations.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Impeachment — This article is about a step in the removal of a public official. For challenging a witness in a legal proceeding, see witness impeachment. Impeachment is a formal process in which an official is accused of unlawful activity, the outcome of which …   Wikipedia

  • Norway — For other uses, see Norway (disambiguation). Kingdom of Norway Kongeriket Norge (Bokmål) Kongeriket Noreg (Nynorsk) …   Wikipedia

  • Norway — /nawr way/, n. Norwegian, Norge. a kingdom in N Europe, in the W part of the Scandinavian Peninsula. 4,404,456; 124,555 sq. mi. (322,597 sq. km). Cap.: Oslo. * * * Norway Introduction Norway Background: Despite its neutrality, Norway was not able …   Universalium

  • Norway —    A Danish domain dragged into the Napoleonic Wars in 1799. A seafaring nation highly dependent on grain import, Norway suffered badly under blockade from the Royal Navy, and only the recent introduction of the potato saved Norwegians from… …   Encyclopedia of the Age of Imperialism, 1800–1914

  • Politics of Norway — Norway This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Norway …   Wikipedia

  • Union between Sweden and Norway — United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway Förenade konungarikena Sverige och Norge De forenede Kongeriger Norge og Sverige Personal union ← …   Wikipedia

  • Parliament of Norway — Stortinget redirects here. For the building itself, see Parliament of Norway Building. For the metro station, see Stortinget (station). The Norwegian Parliament Storting …   Wikipedia

  • Supreme Court of Norway — Høyesterett Established 1815 Jurisdiction Norway Location Oslo Coordinates …   Wikipedia

  • Courts of justice of Norway — The structure of the Courts of Justice in Norway is pyramidic and hierarchic with the Supreme Court at the apex. The conciliation boards only hear certain types of civil cases. The District Courts are deemed to be the first instance of the Courts …   Wikipedia

  • Liberalism in Norway — This article gives an overview of liberalism in Norway. It is limited to liberal parties with substantial support, mainly proved by having been represented in the Norwegian Parliament, Stortinget.BackgroundVenstre (literally Left ) was the first… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”